With a couple of honourable exceptions, politicians are shy about saying the words “carbon price” and “electricity” in the same postcode, let alone the same sentence. And fair enough. Pricing carbon to create an efficient pathway to net zero comes with the trade-off of higher electricity prices. But a reticence to articulate this reality has been holding back the energy market reforms required to deliver the investment we need.
Electricity is responsible for 34 per cent of Australia’s emissions and is an enabler for decarbonising energy use in other sectors. As more sectors switch to electricity, demand for electricity will double between now and 2050.
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